Can't We Be Friends?
by kellylover
Summary: The end of Season 5 left me unsatisfied with the Divemiah story line and excited for the season to come. So I came up with a season-long story arc specifically for Divemiah. Be on the lookout for the birth of Divya's child, the return of Rafa, Jeremiah's first kiss, and many more exciting things. A work in progress. Join with me in this adventure of plot! Jeremiah/Divya.
1. What's Past Is Prologue

**What's Past Is Prologue**

**kellylover**

Dr. Jeremiah Sacani was sleeping peacefully in his bed when he was awoken by a sudden cry. He kept his eyes closed, and instead listened as he heard footsteps on the floor followed by the quiet shush of a patient mother.

It had been almost a year now that Jeremiah had a roommate, almost a year that Divya had moved in. It had been an adjustment for him at first. He was used to his own ways and though he was actively trying to change other aspects of his life, his home had always been a welcome constant. But even from the beginning, though difficult it was, Jeremiah had always believed that Divya's company was more than enough to make up for any discomfort he felt.

He had still been childishly in love with her when he extended his invitation for her to move in. But his love changed as they grew to know one another in a more intimate way. They quickly learned each other's habits, and it always made Jeremiah feel as if he could conquer the world when Divya would have his morning orange juice waiting for him when he came down for breakfast. He learned not to mind the throw blankets hanging over the back of the couch and she learned not to put cream in his coffee. And before Jeremiah even realized that it had happened, it was if they had always lived together in perfect harmony.

As the summer flew by, Jeremiah focused on supporting Divya through the early stages of her pregnancy, and he found that he had stopped obsessing over her as he had the year before. Instead, simply keeping Divya an integral part of his life became his main objective. So when she learned of his feelings at the end of the summer, it hadn't felt at all like a lie when he told her he had outgrown his obsession and asked her to accept his help during her pregnancy.

But as the fall dragged into winter and the winter into spring, Jeremiah was challenged and pushed in ways he had never experienced before. As Divya approached the final days of her pregnancy, she became increasingly hormonal and emotional. Earlier she would call for him to simply sit and hold her hand, to talk to her and take her mind off of her inactivity. Some nights, feeling especially alone, she would ask him to sit next to her in her bed as she leaned into his side and fell asleep happier in his presence. Sometimes he would find her exerting herself too much only to collapse in exhaustion and tears in his arms at the sight of him.

Jeremiah had never before been faced with a woman crying on his shoulder, or falling asleep as she leaned against him. And while he was keenly aware that Divya saw these actions as nothing more than platonic, Jeremiah felt himself getting more and more attached to her.

As Divya's due date drew nearer, Jeremiah's biggest worry was that she would move out as soon as the baby arrived. But luckily, he learned that Divya had allowed her lease to expire at her apartment complex, and she was instead faced with the choice of finding a new place to live or simply continuing to live with Jeremiah. So Jeremiah looked on the birth with anticipation rather than apprehension. And before he knew it, Divya's mother had moved in with them to help out until the birth, and not long after that, Divya and Jeremiah welcomed a fourth into their home.

He called it "their home" now in his head. It was no longer only his property, as far as he was concerned. It was Divya's home just as much as his. And he sincerely hoped that she felt the same way. He couldn't imagine living there without her anymore, had forgotten what life had been like when he was the only person in that modern mansion and he was delighted when he finally got to bring Divya and her child back home, where they belonged.

Unfortunately, not only had the pregnancy been hard on Divya, but also the recovery. The hernias that had developed lingered and caused her to be only minimally active immediately following the birth. So it was Jeremiah who had jumped up at every cry and ran to the other room to comfort the baby as much as he could, which was another situation he had never anticipated. He quickly learned that a crying baby was much more frightening than a crying woman. But with Divya's careful coaching, he became quite adept at soothing the baby's woes.

So it took a lot of self-restraint to resist jumping up out of his bed when he heard the child's cry. But it had been three months since Jeremiah had brought Divya and the baby home, and Divya was now more than capable of caring for the child herself. So Jeremiah laid in bed with his eyes closed and listened to the mixture of the baby's cries and Divya's gentle shush while he contemplated the bliss that had been the past nine months.

Though it hadn't been always perfect, it had been very near it for much of the time. But for the disappointment of not being with Divya in a more substantial way, Jeremiah had more than he could ever have hoped for. He had successfully taken over the leadership of HankMed and had a decidedly happy personal life for the first time in his life. And as the baby's cries died down and Jeremiah drifted back off to sleep, he had a smile on his face.

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed it, but whether you did or you didn't, please leave a review. It would make my day. Also, stay tuned, because this is just the beginning of what I think the next season's Divemiah story arc should look like. Of course, it will be nothing like what the writers will come up with, but this is how I would do it if I were them. On a side note, this is only the second chaptered story I've ever written, so it's bound to be a challenge. I plan to finish it before next season airs, and sometimes updates might be faster than at other times. But I will finish. So please come along for the ride.**


	2. My Blue Heaven

**My Blue Heaven**

"Good morning, Jeremiah," Divya greeted him as he entered the kitchen the next morning. She was leaning against the bar reading the morning newspaper and sipping coffee when he walked in.

"Good morning," he replied and smiled as he spotted his morning orange juice and the world news section of the paper on the bar in front of him. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Well enough," she answered with a smile. "Maya fussed a bit more than normal, but otherwise I slept fine."

"Good," Jeremiah said with a nod before sipping on his orange juice.

"What about you? How did you sleep?" Divya asked.

Jeremiah moved to the cabinets to pull out a box of cereal and said, "I slept well, thank you," before continuing on with his morning routine. Divya continued to read in silence and Jeremiah joined her, reading his own section of the news as he ate.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Divya asked a few minutes later as she set down the paper.

Jeremiah took a moment to finish swallowing the cereal in his mouth before replying. "This morning I have an appointment with Ms. Newberg and then Hank asked to meet with me in town before he had to leave with Boris again. This afternoon, I thought, if you were up to it, you could do a routine check on Mr. Lunsford. He's apparently developed some kind of rash on his arms and back. It sounds very routine."

"I'll be there," Divya answered. "I'm very anxious to get back to work. All this sitting around is driving me crazy." Jeremiah smiled.

"I figured you would welcome a chance to get back into the rotation. I know that sitting around in this house for the better part of nine months isn't exactly ideal."

Divya nodded. "Not exactly," she conceded, "but I did enjoy your company immensely."

"It was my pleasure."

After a beat, Jeremiah took another bite of cereal as Divya cleared her throat. He looked up to see her with her mouth half-open as if to speak, and eventually she said, "Jeremiah, Rafa contacted me yesterday to say that he was finally able to get time off to come visit Maya and I. But I don't want to trespass on your hospitality, so I wanted to ask if it would be alright if he visited here."

Jeremiah paused. He swallowed and said, "Rafa would be staying here?"

Almost immediately Divya replied, "No, of course not. I just meant, he would be over here from time to time and I was wondering if that would be alright with you."

"Why wasn't he here for the birth?" Jeremiah asked without thinking.

"He was busy with his modeling," Divya said. "He says he couldn't get time off until now." She waited a second before continuing. "But he won't be here every day. He won't even be in town for very long. But he arrives tonight, and I was hoping that he could meet the baby here rather than his hotel or some public place."

"Of course," Jeremiah said. "Your guests are more than welcome here. This is your home, too. Invite whomever you want." He said it, but felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. He could still remember when Divya had first started dating Rafa. He had matured since then, but still his jealousy when Rafa's name was mentioned was embarrassing. He wanted to be the only man in Maya's life and the most important one in Divya's, and now the prospect of sharing them made him more jealous than he cared to admit.

But he could never deny Divya, and she beamed at him in response. "Thank you, Jeremiah," she said, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

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Hank Lawson was waiting at a table on the patio of the coffee shop where he had arranged to meet Dr. Sacani. When he spotted Jeremiah, Hank stood up and waved him over, calling, "Jeremiah, over here!"

Jeremiah heard his name called and turned to see Hank standing and beckoning him. He walked over to the table and shook Hank's hand, saying, "Hello, Hank. It's good to see you again. How was your trip?"

Hank smiled and said, "It was good, thanks for asking. And it's good to see you again, too, Jeremiah." Hank motioned for them to sit and they did so as he continued, "You look great. The off-season in the Hamptons seems to have done you some good."

"Thank you. I did enjoy it."

"And you were a big help to Divya, from what I hear." Jeremiah shrugged.

"She needed the help, and I was more than happy to give it." Hank smiled.

"Well, I know Divya appreciates it, and I do, too. It's so much easier to do what I need to do for Boris knowing that you're here to look after our friends and our business. Speaking of which, I was hoping you could give me an update on HankMed before I have to leave again."

"Of course," Jeremiah replied. "I would first like to say how much I appreciate your trusting me with HankMed. I understand how hard that must have been."

Hank nodded. "It was difficult. But it was much easier knowing it was in capable hands. So tell me, Jeremiah, how is HankMed doing? Aside from the numbers, of course, which Evan tells me are better than ever."

"HankMed is in a very stable position from my estimation. Though its size took a significant hit when you and Divya were unavailable, I was able to treat all of its patients without much trouble. Luckily, business is much slower during the off-season, but this past week, things have begun to pick up again. Divya is seeing her first patient this afternoon, but with your occasional absence, I would recommend hiring a third doctor to help with the workload during the summer."

"That's what Evan keeps saying," Hank confirmed. "And I think it's a good idea. I don't know how often I can be in town, we don't want Divya to work herself too hard right after her pregnancy, and you certainly can't handle it all by yourself. So, by all means, hire whomever you see fit. I trust your judgment, Jeremiah. Discuss the salary we're willing to offer with Evan, but otherwise, the decision is yours."

Jeremiah nodded. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will," Hank said with a smile. "And Jeremiah, I hope that we can be friends again. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm very sorry, but I hope we can put it past us and look forward to a long and healthy friendship."

"I'm sorry too, Hank. I should take more responsibility for my actions and not distance you for a potential fault of my own. I would very much like to be friends."

Hank grinned. "Should we shake on it?" he asked with a glimmer in his eye.

Jeremiah extended his hand and was delighted when Hank reached out to grab it in friendship.

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It was approaching 8:00 and Divya couldn't help but feel anxious. She sat in the living room in her favorite chair with a book and a glass of wine, but she was too anxious to read. That position had become one of her favorites during her pregnancy. It was comfortable and always made her feel secure, but right now, all she could do was sip her wine, hoping it would calm her down.

Jeremiah wasn't far. After they had finished dinner (it had become their custom to dine together), he had followed Divya's lead and retired to the living room. They had sat there, enjoying the evening and their respective books, but as it approached 8:00 and Divya became increasingly fidgety, it seemed as though Maya had picked up on her mother's unease and had begun to fuss. Secretly delighted, Jeremiah offered to soothe the child's woes, and Divya readily agreed. So he was holding Maya in his arms trying to lull her to sleep while Divya tried to make small talk to otherwise occupy her mind.

"So how was your meeting with Hank this morning?" she asked.

"It went quite well. We've finally resolved all of our differences and he's given me permission to hire another doctor to help out during the summer," Jeremiah said as he swayed gently on the spot.

"Well, that's great!" she replied enthusiastically. "We'll need the extra help, but most important is that you worked everything out." He nodded.

"I agree. I'd consider it a great success." She smiled and they fell back into silence as Divya distractedly took another sip of her wine. "How did you feel about being back on the job today?" he asked as if to offer her another avenue of escape.

"I enjoyed it, though I must admit that I was nervous at first. It had been so long since I'd worked that I was a bit worried. But once I started, I realized that it was just like riding a bike," she smiled at him.

"I'm glad," he answered, looking down at Maya who was finally starting to drift off to sleep. "I wanted your first assignment to be as easy as it could be."

"Well, I appreciate it, Jeremiah, though I it was–" Divya started to say but was cut off by the ringing of the doorbell.

Maya started to fuss in Jeremiah's arms again as Divya jumped up. "That must be him," she said and walked off to answer the door. Jeremiah tried to swallow but found that his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

When Divya returned, Rafa was trailing behind her and saying, "And where is my beautiful daughter?"

"Oh, Rafa, you remember Jeremiah, don't you?" she asked as Rafa approached him, extending his arms to take Maya from his arms.

"Of course. How do you do?" Rafa said as he took possession of Maya. "There she is, my baby girl," he continued. "Look at how pretty you are!" he exclaimed in admiration.

Jeremiah took a step back from the scene as Divya moved in closer. "I'm fine, thank you," he said softly, though he knew that neither Rafa nor Divya were listening anymore.

"She's so big, too!" Rafa exclaimed.

"Yes, she has grown quite a bit since we brought her home from the hospital, hasn't she, Jeremiah?" Divya asked for confirmation.

"She has grown about four inches since then," he agreed.

Rafa looked up to meet Jeremiah's eyes for the first time then. He smiled and said, "I hear you were a great help to Divya and my beautiful girl here."

Jeremiah shrugged. "I was glad to help."

"Well, I thank you very much for taking care of them," Rafa said, still maintaining eye contact. Jeremiah nodded and finally Rafa returned his attention to his daughter. Divya smiled at Jeremiah before also returning her attention to Maya and her father. It was then, while they cooed at the child, that Jeremiah quietly slipped out of the room. And it wasn't until he had reached the sanctuary of his bedroom that he could swallow.


	3. Moonlight Serenade

**Moonlight Serenade**

Divya Katdare was bouncing Maya up and down in her arms as she walked into her home. She had just returned from picking Maya up from Rafa who had been watching her while Divya was at work.

It had been Divya's first full day back on the job, though she had slowly started to acclimate herself, with Jeremiah's careful planning, a week before. But Jeremiah was very thorough and quite convinced that it would be more profitable for HankMed to make sure that she was ready to return to work than to simply reinstate her as she had been.

But Divya was also worried that Jeremiah had been going so slow with getting her back to work because he was so uncomfortable with Rafa being around as often as he was. She had told Jeremiah that Rafa wouldn't be over every night, but still, in the past week since he had arrived in the Hamptons, Rafa had been over every night but one. And it wasn't that Divya believed Jeremiah was being vindictive, but she was worried that it had affected his judgment as to her abilities after her maternity leave.

Divya knew Jeremiah had been upset when Rafa had arrived that first night, and she tried very hard to make it up to him the next morning. But though she had woken much earlier than normal, Jeremiah was still up and out of the house before she had a chance to see him. And Rafa had been over so much since then, Divya knew that it was only adding stress to Jeremiah.

So every time Rafa came, Divya tried her hardest to get the two to be friends. But Jeremiah was too reluctant and Rafa too indifferent. Jeremiah was still upset with Rafa for having hurt Divya as much as he did, and that made it especially difficult for him to feel good about being friendly with Rafa. So though he made a small effort for Divya's sake, he much preferred to retreat from where ever Rafa decided to spend his time that night and instead pour over the many résumés that had been submitted to HankMed after Evan had put an advertisement for another doctor in the local newspaper.

As a result, Divya hadn't seen terribly much of Jeremiah during the past week, which not only made her feel bad, but also made her miss his company greatly. So she was very excited to find him in the kitchen cooking dinner when she walked into the house.

"Hello, Jeremiah!" she exclaimed upon seeing him. He turned and smiled at her and Maya.

"Hello," he responded. "I guess you're just now returning from work. How did it go?" Divya smiled at him knowingly, realizing that he was obsessing over her return to work again.

"It went quite well, thank you, Jeremiah," she answered. He nodded. "How was your day?"

"It was very productive," he said as he went back to cooking. "I had a few appointments but was able to further narrow down the search for a new doctor. I have an interview tomorrow with Dr. Powell, and if it goes well, we should have another member of HankMed."

"Good, I'm very glad that your day was productive. What's Dr. Powell like?" Divya asked as she moved to set Maya down in her crib in the adjoining living room.

"She graduated from Columbia Medical School and spent her residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She's been working at John Hopkins Hospital since then, and she's known as a great generalist."

"She? Dr. Powell is a woman?" Divya asked as she moved to Jeremiah's side and began to help preparing dinner.

"Yes."

"Well, it'll be nice to add another woman to the HankMed staff, I think," she said.

"I suppose so," Jeremiah replied. "Though I was only concerned with her qualifications."

"How did she find out about HankMed if she's living in Baltimore?" Divya asked.

"Apparently Evan did more than just advertise in the local newspaper. I believe he took out an ad in New York newspapers as well, and I suppose the word got around."

Divya chuckled. "That's Evan for you." Jeremiah smiled and nodded in agreement. "Do you think she'll take the job?"

"I hope so," Jeremiah answered. "I have yet to meet her, but over the phone she seemed like a good candidate. If I offer her the job tomorrow, I believe the only consideration would be her salary. While HankMed is continuing to grow, I think Dr. Powell would be taking a pay cut to come work with us."

"I see," Divya said. "Well, I hope it goes well for you tomorrow." He smiled at her again. There was a lull in the conversation then, and Divya moved to stand beside him and placed a hand on his arm. "Jeremiah, I can't tell you how sorry I am that Rafa is making you so uncomfortable in your own home. I never expected to see him as much as we are."

Jeremiah stopped his work to look at Divya and smiled at her, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I appreciate your concern. But it's important for Rafa to be a part of Maya's life. And this is your home now as much as it is mine."

Divya's heart melted at his words. She always felt welcome in Jeremiah's home, but for him to label it as her own as well was heartwarming. "Well, we won't see him tonight, anyhow," she offered as consolation. "He spent all day with Maya, so there's no need for him to visit tonight." And though he tried not to show it, Divya could see the relief in Jeremiah's eyes at her announcement.

They went back to preparing dinner then, which was done about a half hour later. They ate together, sharing a bottle of wine with dinner, and, as was their custom, retired with their last glass of wine and their respective books to the living room, where Divya softly played classical music while they read.

Before she knew it, Divya realized that it was time to put Maya to sleep, and while she was tucking her in inside her crib, Divya heard the doorbell ring. She finished saying goodnight to her precious child, and walked into the entryway to find Jeremiah letting Rafa into the house and saying, "She just put Maya to bed. She'll be right back."

"Rafa!" Divya exclaimed to announce herself, "What are you doing here?"

Jeremiah turned around and gave Divya a shy smile to excuse himself from the room. He then walked back into the living room and left Divya alone with Rafa who said, "Divya, I needed to see you. I've been thinking of this for some time."

He was speaking very fast, and Divya interrupted, saying, "What are you talking about?"

"I want to be a bigger part in Maya's life. I want to be a part of your life again," he said, stepping closer to her.

"What do you mean?" Divya asked suspiciously.

Rafa took her hands. "I mean I never stopped loving you, Divya. I want to be with you again. I want another chance. I want us to be a proper family."

Divya stared blankly into Rafa's eyes.

"I know I messed up," he continued. "But if you give me another chance, it will never happen again. I love you, Divya. I want to be with you. I want to be there for Maya and I want to be there for you."

After a moment Divya responded, "I don't know what to say."

"Then say yes," Rafa replied immediately, but Divya shook her head.

"I need to think this over," she told him.

"Divya–" he started to protest, but she stopped him.

"I need time, Rafa." She pulled her hands away from his grasp. "I'll think about it, but I need you to leave. And don't come back until I call you, okay?" she finished.

Rafa nodded. "If time is what you need, then you shall have it," he answered, and turned to open the door. "I really do love you, Divya," he said, turning back to look at her before he left. She didn't reply and finally he walked out of the house.

Divya stumbled from surprise back into the living room where Jeremiah was standing, watching for her to enter the room. She looked at him with a lost look in her eyes, and Jeremiah's eyebrows raised in sympathy.

"Oh, Jeremiah," she said, plopping down on the couch. "What a night this has turned out to be."

Jeremiah waited a second before joining her on the couch and placing a sympathetic hand on her knee. She smiled wearily at him and said, "What am I going to do?"

He shrugged. "Whatever you choose will be fine. You have excellent judgment."

"Thank you, Jeremiah," she replied, grabbing his hand. "But I honestly have no idea what to tell him."

"You'll think of something, and, doubtless, it will be the wise decision." She sighed and leaned her head back against the couch. "Perhaps sleeping on it would help," he suggested.

"You're right," she conceded. "I suppose I'll turn in early tonight. I'm a little tired as it is." She leaned over and kissed Jeremiah on the cheek. "Thank you, Jeremiah," she said, standing. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he called after her, and was soon alone again.


	4. Something's Gotta Give

**Something's Gotta Give**

The next morning when Jeremiah descended the stairs for breakfast, he wasn't terribly surprised to find that Divya had already had her breakfast and left for the day. So he ate in silence, reviewing his material for the interview he had later with Dr. Powell. And after a quick check up on a patient, Jeremiah found himself face-to-face with Dr. Powell at last.

She was already at the restaurant where they had agreed to meet when he arrived. She had gotten a table on the patio and when the hostess escorted him to the table, Jeremiah noticed that Dr. Powell already had a glass of water waiting for him. As he approached the table, she stood up, smiling at him.

As far as first impressions go, Jeremiah had a very good feeling about Dr. Powell right from the start. She was somewhat tall for a woman, a little taller than Divya was, and dressed very professionally. She was wearing a grey knee-length pencil skirt with a deep blue blouse. She accented the outfit with blue shoes and a blue necklace that perfectly matched the color of her blouse. She had long golden brown hair that gently cascaded down her back in delicate curls and wore a light pink lipstick and a tasteful amount of make-up. Her white teeth shone brilliantly at Jeremiah as she beamed at him and said, "Hello! You must be Dr. Sacani," while extending her hand with expertly manicured nails.

Jeremiah found it difficult to breathe for a moment, but eventually found breath enough to say, "Yes, I am," as he took her proffered hand, which, sure enough, was as soft as butter. He pulled his hand away and gulped.

"Margaret Powell. Pleased to meet you," she said by way of introduction.

"It's nice to meet you," Jeremiah replied as they sat down.

"I took the liberty of getting you a glass of water," Dr. Powell began, "but if you'd like some juice or coffee…"

"Water will be fine, thank you," he interrupted.

"Down to business, then?" she asked with a smile, which Jeremiah returned.

"I thought we could start by answering any questions you might have," he suggested. "So far, I've asked you all the questions. There must be some that you have."

"I do have a few," she admitted.

"By all means," he invited.

"Tell me, Dr. Sacani, have you been with HankMed since its inception?"

"No, I've been with HankMed for two years, but, uh, Hank and Evan, our CFO, started the business five years ago."

"Well, I'd like to ask you, in that case, what drew you to HankMed, and what keeps you here?"

Surprised, Jeremiah took a moment before replying, "I was working in a lab before HankMed, and had only practiced medicine a little, under close supervision of my mentor. But I needed a change and I had heard good things about Hank and HankMed in general, and it was just what I needed. We're very close at HankMed. We're all on a first name basis, and we're all good friends. It's like a family. And I had never had much of a family." Dr. Powell nodded as Jeremiah paused. "HankMed gave me room to grow. It continues to give me room to grow."

"And now you're taking interviews," she added, conspiratorially. "So there's room for upward mobility in HankMed?"

"Well," Jeremiah paused and took a drink, "HankMed is very small, so there isn't much room for promotions. But as the business continues to grow, you would be considered one of the principle members and your position would be very high."

"I see," Margaret said. "Well, I believe that's all of my questions. Do you have any for me?"

"Yes," Jeremiah replied, clearing his throat. "I wanted to ask why you're looking to leave John Hopkins."

"Well," she began with a smile, "I'm not exactly looking to leave. But I think that if I don't explore opportunities as they arise, my career will grow stagnant. And HankMed is a wonderful opportunity. I'm comfortable at John Hopkins, and only an opportunity like HankMed could persuade me to leave."

"At HankMed," Jeremiah continued, "we believe in putting patients first. It's Hank's biggest concern. Talk about how important that is to you."

"Well, the patients are reason I became a doctor. I enjoy taking care of people and take great pride in being good at my job. Without the patients, we both would be out of work," she finished, leaning forward conspiratorially.

"Very true," Jeremiah agreed. "Well, Dr. Powell, HankMed would be very lucky to have you. The job is yours if you want it, but we would need you to start as soon as possible."

Dr. Powell smiled broadly and Jeremiah's breath caught in his throat. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I can start in two weeks. I just need to give my notice at John Hopkins."

"That would be fine. Congratulations," Jeremiah said, standing. "I need to return to my patients, but I look forward to working with you." He extended his hand, which Margaret took gladly.

"Thank you, Dr. Sacani," she returned.

"Please, call me Jeremiah," he interjected.

"Well, Jeremiah, call me Margaret." He nodded his assent. "I look forward to becoming part of the HankMed family."

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"Rafa, you have to give me time," Divya was saying as she entered the kitchen where Jeremiah was once again fixing the two of them dinner. She had her purse and Maya's baby bag draped over her shoulder, with Maya in one hand and her phone in her other. Jeremiah instantly moved to lessen her load. He took Maya from her hands, getting the child with a happy smile. Divya smiled and nodded at him, thanking him soundlessly for his help.

"I haven't forgotten," she was saying as she removed her bags from her shoulder. Jeremiah walked over to Maya's playpen, which was still in the living room, and dragged it closer to the entryway near the kitchen. He then sat Maya down and returned to the kitchen where Divya was still speaking exasperatedly into her phone.

"I will. I promise. Goodbye," Divya said before finally hanging up and looking back at Jeremiah. She smiled wanly at him and he returned it with a smile of his own. "Hello, Jeremiah," she said more cheerfully than she felt. "Fixing dinner again? You'll spoil me for sure."

Jeremiah chuckled. "I doubt that," he disagreed. "How was your day?" he asked as the two of them began to work on dinner as they had the night before.

"It was good," Divya told him. "I checked up on Mr. Lunsford, and his rash is clearing up nicely." Jeremiah nodded to show his approval. "How was your day?" she returned.

"It went very well," he said. "I offered Dr. Powell the new position and she accepted. Though she can't start for another two weeks, we will soon have another member of HankMed."

"Wonderful!" Divya exclaimed. "We'll soon need the extra help as well. Everyone is starting to move back into town for the summer."

"Yes, it would certainly be difficult with just you and I," Jeremiah agreed. "And she seems very eager and capable."

"So much the better," Divya added. After a moment of silence, Jeremiah spoke again.

"I couldn't help but hear," he offered by way of explanation. "I guess you haven't decided to what tell Rafa," he conjectured. Divya sighed.

"No, I haven't," she admitted. "I'm initially inclined to tell him that it's out of the question, but he seems so very sincere. The hardest part is trying to decide what's right for Maya," Divya continued, glancing over her shoulder to look back at her child who was cooing softly in her playpen. "Rafa should be involved in her life. She will need a father." Jeremiah swallowed.

"Regardless of what you choose," he braved to say, "you will be more than enough of a parent to Maya. She will be well looked after. And we will all be here to help you." She smiled at him.

"Thank you, Jeremiah. I appreciate it. And I'm sorry to burden you with my troubles. After all you've done for Maya and I already, I have no idea how we will ever repay you without telling you all of my problems." He shrugged.

"You're my friend," he reminded her. "Friends take care of one another."

"You're right, of course," she agreed. "Though just once, I'd like to be the one to help you," she added with a grin.

"You have helped me more times than I can remember," Jeremiah said simply. Divya smiled, and though she wasn't convinced, she let the compliment pass without comment. Instead, they continued cooking dinner, sharing the small details of their day with one another, occasionally taking turns to check on Maya. And when dinner was done and they had finished enjoying the fruits of their labor, Jeremiah excused himself to his study and Divya excused herself to her room and the rest of the night passed without them seeing one another.

They were each too busy in their own thoughts to miss the other's easy company too much. Divya's mind was full of Rafa and Maya until they rested for a moment on Jeremiah and his long passed unrequited feelings. It was as she thought of Jeremiah and his comfortable arm draped around her shoulder during her pregnancy, or of the first, shy time he had held Maya in his arms, that her breath caught in her throat. He had said that his feelings had gone, but she Divya had always worried that Jeremiah had simply been covering up for how he really felt, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him by returning to Rafa.

But on the other hand, Rafa seemed very genuine and sincere. And Divya wanted him to be a part of Maya's life. And if for no other reason but for Maya's sake, it seemed as though Divya needed to give him another chance, no matter how much it seemed to be against her better judgment.

In his office, Jeremiah was likewise distracted. He was worried about Divya and the big decision she faced. But he felt quite at a loss to know how to feel about it. While part of him wanted Rafa to leave the Hamptons and Divya forever, another part of him recognized that he had no claim on her, and that she was free to choose however she saw fit. And so Jeremiah, not knowing what to feel, tried to distract himself from thoughts of Divya with the paperwork that was piled on his desk.

But try as they might to rid their minds of unpleasant thoughts, neither Divya nor Jeremiah found it very easy to sleep that night.

**Author's Note: This upload is in honor of my tenth anniversary! So happy anniversary to me!**

**Also, I won't pretend that I've ever been to a job interview quite like what I imagine Jeremiah and Margaret's would be, but I hope it's not too unrealistic. This is all still rising action, but believe me, the plotline is already very developed so please don't give up on me.**

**Thanks for reading and reviews are always welcome!**


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